1969: Veale, Stargell Lead Pirates Past Padres
Mon, May 7, 2007
by Geoff Young
May 7, 1969, Pittsburgh: Pirates 2, Padres 0 (box score)
After winning the opener in Pittsburgh, the Padres turned to Clay Kirby. The Pirates countered with left-hander Bob Veale. The Alabama native had finished the previous season at 13-14 despite a sparkling 2.05 ERA. Veale had gotten off to a slow start in 1969, entering the contest with a 2-3 record and a 5.47 ERA.
On this date, though, Veale would prove tough. The Padres had their chances, loading the bases in the second and making a little noise in the fourth and ninth innings as well, but ultimately couldn’t score against Veale, who fanned 13 batters. About the only offensive bright spot for San Diego was — you guessed it — Nate Colbert, who singled and tripled in four trips to the plate.
The Pirates, meanwhile, scored all the runs they needed in the second, when Veale singled home Al Oliver. First baseman Willie Stargell added a one-out solo home run the following frame to put the Bucs up, 2-0, which turned out to be the final score.
The Padres finished the day with a 13-17 record, slipping into fifth place in the NL West, a half game behind the Reds and still four games up on the surging Houston Astros. A crowd of just under 4200 witnessed the game at Forbes Field.
Trivia: Shortstop Freddie Patek hit five homers for Pittsburgh in 1969, and a total of 41 in 6246 plate appearances over parts of 14 seasons. Three of those home runs came on June 20, 1980, while playing for the California Angels.
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